The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 63 Ji Town
Both Liaohaiwei and Sanwanwei were established in the middle of the Hongwu period. In the early period, they had more than 10,000 soldiers. They declined rapidly in the late Yongle period and became extremely corrupt during the Chenghua period. The soldiers of the garrisons fled, the fields were abandoned, and only two or three out of ten soldiers survived.

By the end of the Wanli period, the two garrisons had less than 3,000 soldiers in total, half of which were auxiliary troops such as the Jiantie Army and the Chaotie Army.

On the third day after the Battle of Kaiyuan, the commander of the 30,000-man Liaohai Guard led the garrison troops to Kaiyuan to reinforce.

A group of skinny people who looked like beggars were standing and shivering in the cold wind. An elderly soldier fainted from hunger.

Liu Zhaosun looked at the group of garrison soldiers in front of him, then turned back to look at the two fat and elegant commanders. He was overwhelmed with emotions and shook his head helplessly. The garrison had declined to this extent.

However, he still decided that if he had time in the future, he would learn from these two fat men and ask them how to make money legally, quickly, efficiently and cheaply in Kaiyuan.

In order to establish good relations with the two commanders in advance, Brigadier General Liu gave each of the late-arriving garrison soldiers a bowl of fried noodles.

A group of beggar soldiers happily returned home with fried noodles for the Jiannu, but Liu Zhaosun's heart was bleeding. His compassion made the already poor Kaiyuan even worse.

Kang Yingqian was very disdainful of this practice. In his opinion, it was not worth wasting food to make friends with two country bumpkin commanders!
Liu Zhaosun explained, "Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. I am here in Kaiyuan to protect the people and will need the support of the military households."

In the context of the late Ming Dynasty, when civil officials were valued and military officials were despised, it was normal for a civil official like Kang Yingqian to show contempt for local military households. However, in Liu Zhaosun's view, the rural areas far away from the provincial capital were where the direction of the empire was determined.

Of course, the prerequisite is to be able to organize these forces well and use them for one's own benefit.

As the saying goes, the countryside surrounds the city...
~~~~
On March 27, the 47th year of the Wanli reign, Xiong Tingbi, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and the Right Censor-in-Chief, and the Governor of Liaodong, led the general Xiao Ruxun, the deputy general Li Huaixin, the lieutenant general Chai Guozhu and other generals and officially entered Kaiyuan City.

Kaiyuan Lieutenant General Liu Zhaosun, together with the military supervisor Kang Yingqian, commanders Yang Qilong and Ding Guozhen, thousand commanders Wang Erhu and Deng Changxiong and others, went three miles out of the city to welcome them.

At the foot of the north gate of Kaiyuan, the tall Xiong Tingbi stood with his head held high, with Xiao Ruxun, Li Huaixin and others standing beside him. Qiao Yiqi stood beside the generals, and some civil servants stood around him.

Liu Zhaosun saluted Xiong Tingbi in accordance with official etiquette, and also saluted Xiao Ruxun, Li Huaixin and others.

I couldn't help but take another look at Xiao Ruxun. Xiao Ruxun was about fifty years old, with an upright and strong figure, a calm and majestic face, and a beautiful beard on his chin, which gave him a bit of the temperament of Guan Yu.

"I wonder if Big Brother Wei Zhongxian likes this person. I'd like to introduce him to them if I have the chance."

In fact, in history, Guan Erye was eventually impeached and dismissed from office by Wei Zhongxian... Of course, Liu Zhaosun didn't know this history.

Xiao Ruxun was known as the greatest Confucian general in the late Ming Dynasty. Not only did he have outstanding military achievements, which were no less than those of Du Song and Liu Jing, but his articles and calligraphy were also comparable to those of literati, and his poems have been passed down to later generations.

According to the original historical dimension, Xiao Ruxun will be transferred to the Shenjiying in the capital by the emperor in the first year of Tianqi, which is next year.

However, now with the emergence of Liu Zhaosun, history has changed. The Battle of Kaiyuan broke out ahead of schedule, Xiong Tingbi entered Liao ahead of schedule, and Xiao Ruxun was also recruited to Liaodong.

Kang Yinggan gently tugged at Liu Zhaosun's sleeve and winked at him, indicating that he should hurry to see the governor.

Liu Zhaosun then turned his attention to Xiong Tingbi. Xiong Tingbi was of burly build, wearing a third-rank official uniform with a third-rank civil official patch on his chest that showed a peacock stepping on clouds and singing sun, and an imperial sword at his waist.

He didn't know much about Xiong Tingbi. He only knew that he seemed to have died a miserable death because of factional disputes and his head was sent to the nine borders.

Liu Zhaosun's gaze lingered on the imperial sword for a moment, then he looked away.

Yuan Dudu took the imperial sword and chopped Mao Wenlong to pieces. This story was so horrifying that time travelers who knew what happened had to be on guard.

Xiong Tingbi has a worse temper than Yuan Dudu, and it is not impossible that he would chop himself if they disagreed.

Liu Zhaosun was still a little apprehensive at the thought of Ding Bi and Li Ruzhen sending people to impeach him. To be on the safe side, he had made preparations in advance, deploying additional troops to guard each gate to prevent a surprise attack from the Jizhen troops. He also strengthened his escort, taking Zhang Chao, Zhang Dong, and others with him, resolutely refusing to attend the meeting alone or leave the city alone.

In short, the handsome man Liu Zhaosun has made all preparations and will never let the governor have any improper thoughts about him.

Xiong Tingbi saw Liu Zhaosun staring at him intently and said with an awkward smile:

"Lieutenant General Liu, come to think of it, your adoptive father Liu Jing and I have known each other for many years. Back then..."

Counting on my fingers, this is the third big boss who has said that he and Liu Jing are brothers in life and death. It seems that my adoptive father is quite popular.

Ma Lin and Kang Yingqian are quite nice to me, but I wonder if this Xiong Manzi really has a good relationship with my adoptive father.

Thinking of this, Liu Zhaosun said casually as usual: "My adoptive father has mentioned Xiong Jinglüe many times. Back then, my adoptive father and Xiong Jinglüe traveled across Yunnan..."

"Ahem, it's Liaodong."

Xiong Tingbi smiled awkwardly. "I, along with your adoptive father, braved every circumstance in Liaodong. I heard he died for his country at Hunjiang River. I was in Jiangxia, and my heart aches. Now that you've crushed the Qing army and accomplished such remarkable feats, General Liu's spirit in heaven must be pleased. I'm here to commend you."

It seems that Xiong Tingbi and his adoptive father really have some friendship, otherwise he wouldn't say these words when they meet.

Thinking about how wary I was of others just now, I was really judging others by my own standards.

On second thought, Yuan Chonghuan's acting skills were also remarkable when he beheaded Mao Wenlong.

On Pi Island, Yuan Chonghuan and Mao chatted over drinks, from the sunsets beyond the Great Wall to the Broken Bridge of West Lake, and even talked about the beauties of Hangzhou, such as Bai Suzhen. At the last moment, Yuan Chonghuan turned his back on Mao and killed him with a single blow.

It can be seen that the words of these generals and commanders cannot be fully trusted.

Liu Zhaosun walked all the way from Sarhu to Kaiyuan, escaping many dangers. It's always a good idea to be more careful in everything.

"General Xiong, you flatter me. I was blessed with the full support of His Majesty and the strategic planning of several superiors. Fortunately, General Xiong led the standard-bearing battalion to the rescue and dealt a thunderous blow to the bandits, which led to this victory in Kaiyuan. I am just a warrior, only knowing how to charge into battle and luckily chop off a few Tartar heads..."

Before he could finish, a general behind Xiong Tingbi shouted:
"Mr. Xiong, please be modest. You're really just trying to climb up the ladder. You didn't mention Ji Town at all. How shameless! If it weren't for Ji Town's rescue, you would still be standing here bragging!"

Changes occurred suddenly.

Everyone was shocked and looked at the Jizhen general who was shouting.

Only Xiao Ruxun and Xiong Tingbi remained calm.

Liu Zhaosun looked up and saw that the person who was speaking was Chai Guozhu, the Lieutenant General of Jizhen. He was a stocky man with slightly bulging shoulders and arms, a typical image of a military general.

After the Battle of Sarhu, the Mongolian Huduntu took the opportunity to invade the border and harass Jizhen. Chai Guozhu led his troops to repel them. Later, he was recommended by Fang Congzhe and promoted to deputy general. He went to Shenyang to defend against the Jiannu. As a result, he used the excuse of illness to return to his hometown halfway.

Because of Liu Zhaosun's time travel, the Battle of Kaiyuan was significantly moved up, and the Tiger Duntu invaded Jizhen much earlier than historically. When the Mongols arrived, Chai Guozhu was still in Tianjin, visiting brothels with Lü Tongzhi. Their hasty response resulted in heavy casualties among his men and the loss of almost all of his retainers.

The Mongols took advantage of the Ming army's disastrous defeat at Sarhu, so Chai Guozhu blamed the defeat on the Ming army at Sarhu. He hated the four Ming armies and suspected Du Song and Li Rubai of colluding with the Jiannu, and even suspected that the Liaozhen were all Tartar spies.

Chai Guozhu had been reluctant to be called up to aid Liao, but he reluctantly arrived in Kaiyuan for Xiao Ruxun's sake. A few days earlier, he had fought a battle with the Tartars, and several of his retainers had died. Lieutenant General Chai had lost many soldiers and generals, but hadn't managed to plunder much silver or food, leaving him furious. He had originally planned to lead his troops into the city to reap some benefits, but Liu Zhaosun refused, saying the city was still full of defeated soldiers.

We are all border troops, and we are all foxes with a history of thousands of years. We should stop deceiving each other, condoning the defeated soldiers, and then taking advantage of the situation to rob. We all know the routine.

Chai Guozhu saw the flames rising to the sky in Kaiyuan City last night, and suspected that Liu Zhaosun allowed his soldiers to plunder and steal a lot of silver, and wanted to keep it all for himself, so he did not let Jizhen enter the city.

After all, Liu Jing's troops were also guest troops, so why would they stay in Liaodong?

He was very angry early in the morning. When he came out of the camp today and was about to enter the city through the west gate, the military supervisor Qiao Yiqi told him that the west gate was not the main gate. According to the court regulations, officials of the third rank and above should enter the city through the main gate during inspection.

Chai Guozhu was just a military man, and of course he didn't know the political significance of entering the city through the main gate.

He walked over with rage, and hadn't even had breakfast yet. He heard Liu Zhaosun bragging in front of Xiong Tingbi, talking about strategizing and charging into battle, without mentioning Jizhen's assistance at all. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore, and without caring about the presence of his superiors, Xiong Tingbi and Xiao Xun, he exploded on the spot with anger.

"My Jizhen troops have come a long way to rescue you Kaiyuan. Hundreds of us have died. Not only do you not provide us with food and fodder, but you are also making sarcastic remarks here. I think you Southern and Liao soldiers are all ungrateful! You deserve to be killed by the Tartars!"

The surroundings were in chaos. Zhang Chao, Zhang Mazi, Jin Yuji, Deng Changxiong, Wang Erhu and others all put their hands on the scabbards. Pei Dahu had already drawn his sword. This loyal head servant glared at Chai Guozhu, waiting for the Thirteenth Master's order to rush forward and chop people.

Xiao Ruxun glared at Chai Guozhu, Xiong Tingbi coughed twice, and the officers around Chai Guozhu also retreated unconsciously. He felt panic at this time, but the words had been spoken and could not be taken back, so he immediately drew his sword.

As the two sides were on the verge of a showdown, Li Huaixin, the deputy general of Jizhen, stepped forward, nodded to Chai Guozhu, glanced at the crowd and smiled slightly:
"Xiong Jinglie, General Xiao, and Lieutenant General Chai are only stating the truth. Please don't blame us! We from Jizhen have come all the way to Kaiyuan and risked our lives to kill the Tartars. This is not only to repay the emperor's grace, but the soldiers have been owed food and wages for several months. We can't let them starve."

He looked at Liu Zhaosun and said, "Lieutenant General Liu, the food and fodder we gave you yesterday was too little. I heard that you captured tens of thousands of dan of Jiannu grain, yet you only gave us this little bit. That's really not good enough."

Deputy General Li, who showed up unexpectedly, clearly regarded Kaesong as a piece of fat meat.

Yesterday, Liu Zhaosun sent people to deliver five carts of food and fodder to the soldiers of Jizhou, which was considered to be giving them enough face.

It should be noted that Kaiyuan had just experienced a bloody battle and was attacked by rebel soldiers. Most of the food and grass in the city were burned, and there was not much left. The food and grass seized from the Jiannu were life-saving food for the soldiers and civilians, and it was impossible to hand over a single grain of rice.

Xiong Tingbi was in charge of Liaodong, and the emperor fully supported him, giving him a million in silver alone, and piling up mountains of food and fodder. The imperial court had already provided more than enough food and fodder to Jizhen, but now they were asking Kaiyuan for more. What a shame!

Moreover, if he humiliated himself in front of everyone like this and acted like a coward, how could he have any prestige in front of his subordinates in the future!
Liu Zhaosun strode forward, his finger pressed against the scabbard, and said with dignity:

"When foreign troops pass through the border, the jurisdiction provides food and fodder. This is customary. However, after the great battle, the food and fodder in the city was completely lost. The food and fodder captured is only enough for the living. There is not much left. If you need food and fodder, you can ask for it from Lord Zheng, the Coast Guard. He should have some."

The Lord Zheng, the coastal defense governor mentioned by Liu Zhaosun, had hanged himself to death for his country long before the Jiannu army besieged Kaiyuan.

"Let me say a few more words. The troops I lead are all southern soldiers. They have no one to rely on, only a deep patriotic heart, and are not afraid to speak with a knife. Let me remind you, don't blame the Liao soldiers. This is Liaodong territory. If Li Chengliang knew about it, he would blame you."

The words were sharp and murderous, and the atmosphere was tense to the extreme. Several servants around Chai Guozhu had already started drawing their swords.

Even a fool could tell that Liu Zhaosun was ready to go to war.

Kang Yingqian tugged at Liu Zhaosun's fat coat, signaling him to put it in.

Although General Kang was also dissatisfied with the military generals of Jizhen, he did not want to break off relations with them, and this also made Xiong Tingbi and Xiao Ruxun very embarrassed.

Under the gaze of everyone, Liu Zhaosun's eyes were like fire, his hand was holding the heavy sword, and he strode towards Chai Guozhu.

(End of this chapter)